


If I had a penny for every time you did something stupid

by Meero94



Series: Protective ex-assassins and idiotic heroes [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 16:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2074332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meero94/pseuds/Meero94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By some miracle, Bucky had never had the pleasure of hearing about Steve's little stunt with the grenade or how he literally jumped on it. But now, over seventy years later and completely by accident, Peggy tells the story and Steve Rogers is in danger of being stared to death by an ex-assassin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If I had a penny for every time you did something stupid

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for a prompt I got on tumblr. Thanks a lot to my prompt giver and I hope you guys enjoy reading this story.

"You should have seen it," Peggy smiles, her old face painted with wistfulness and her gaze fixed at a memory neither man could see. Steve holds her hand while she thinks and Bucky shifts by his side, his head tilted in anticipation to hear the story -anything to help him remember more.

Bucky could be distant and quiet for days at a time but then he'd tilt his head like a child or catch his lip between his teeth, and Steve would remember that this right here is Bucky. A battered and bruised one but still  _his_   _Bucky_ and that alone sends a shot of warmth down Steve's spine. 

"Oh you should have seen it, James," Peggy repeats, fixing her gaze on Steve's face with a fond smile. He doesn't know what tale she's about to tell, but he smiles at her to go on. Give him two minutes and he'll wish he hadn't. "Colonel Phillips was visiting that day, along with Dr. Erskine, to take a look at the men. See which one of them is fittest to take the serum -"

And  _oh boy, no no no. Not this one. Please_. Steve wants to say.

Bucky may not have his full memory back yet but his protective instincts somehow managed to survive the past seventy years intact, and this story right here is the one Steve made sure Bucky never heard. Not even all these years ago. It figures that it'd come back to bite him in the ass now. He almost regrets bringing Buck to visit Peggy. Almost but not really.

"And Colonel Philips.. He wanted to do a test of sorts, you see." She carries on with Bucky hanging to her every word and Steve desperately wishing she'd cut the story short. He'd stop her if he were any less polite. Case in point, he isn't. "So, he grabs a grenade -" Steve swallows loudly. "Shouts Grenade! at the top of his lungs, and throws it right where my men are training. It wasn't really going to explode, mind you." Peggy chuckles, her hand tightening around Steve's. "But none of us knew that, so there you have everyone running in the other direction. Away from it." Steve can all but hear Bucky's eyes narrowing. "While Steve dives towards it, curls his body around it and shouts for us to get away."

She smiles even wider by the time she's done speaking, her eyes glistening as she looks at Steve who smiles back at her then pats her hand with his free one, all the while keeping his eyes locked on her face. One glance to the right and his head might spontaneously combust from Bucky's glare. Better play it safe and spend the rest of their visit with his eyes fixed at his and Peggy's hands. God knows that even Captain America is no match to Bucky Barnes's glares.

"Of course he did," Bucky mutters with poorly concealed anger, his voice making Steve wince. 

"A true hero all along," Peggy laughs, blissfully oblivious to Bucky glaring twin holes into his boyfriend's skull. 

"A fine line between heroism and idiocy, don't ya think, Peggy?" Bucky grins. His question coming out with forced cheerfulness that manages to make Peggy smile, while Steve gulps. 

"Ah well, that's Steve for you." She nods at the blond sitting by her bedside and Bucky mumbles his distressed agreement. 

 They excuse themselves a few minutes later with a promise to come visit again soon. They also drive back home in silence. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright, I can explain." 

"A GRENADE?" Bucky explodes the moment they're back at their floor in the Avengers' tower.

"A grenade, Stevie? Were you out of your fucking mind? What were you thinking? Does your hero-complex come with a death wish?” Bucky exclaims, “First Stark tells me that you tried to get between him and a god while they fought, a freaking god, Steve! Then Natalia mentions you jumping out of airplanes with no parachute," he pauses to take in a deep breath, his jaw flexing while he crosses his arms. "And now… This." 

"Ah, um, sorry?" Steve asks then carries on with an air of guilt. "It was over seventy years ago." He tries. 

"The parachute wasn't, and it's still no good excuse. You didn't even mention this once before, did you?" Bucky questions. "I may not remember everything.. but I like to think I'd remember something like  _that._ " 

"I.. um, no. This is the first time you hear about it," Steve confirms, scuffing his shoe against the carpet and feeling like a little kid all over again. This situation rings similar to the ones he found himself in, a long _long_ time ago, after fighting a particularly nasty bully. Bucky would tend to Steve's wounds while rambling about injuries and pricey doctors and  _goddammit Stevie, would you at least wait for me next time!_

"You've always been a little protective," Steve allows a small smile to accompany his words, and something in Bucky's expression softens. "I've heard too many versions of this outburst to count." 

"Well, you dropped a plane and froze your patriotic ass for seventy years," Bucky sighs then drops his gaze to the ground. "I- I almost killed you and you didn't even try to stop me. Now tell me there's nothing wrong with all of this or that I’m not justified." 

"Bucky," Steve shakes his head and crosses the space between them in three long strides. He comes to a stop a few inches shy of where his best friend stands and extends a hand to lift the other man's face back up. Once their eyes meet -Bucky's filled with guilt and sorrow while Steve's are pained but tender- he lets his hand drop from Bucky's chin. "You weren't trying to kill me. Hydra was and you stopped it. You saved my life, Buck." 

"Only after I endangered it in the first place. You wouldn't have been at the bottom of that river if it weren't for me." Bucky murmures. 

"But the important thing is that you pulled me out. Against your orders. Against years of brainwashing. Christ, Buck, we've been over this." He touches a hand to Bucky's cheek then smiles sadly. "I liked it better when you were angry with me." 

"It wasn't anger you over-sized strong headed punk," Bucky rolls his eyes with obvious fondness, some of the heaviness in his stare dissolving. "It's called being reasonably worried. Look it up." 

"Yes, sir," Steve nods, feeling a spark of pride when Bucky cracks a smile. "Any other commands?" 

"Yes; no more jumping out of planes with no parachute, no more breaking up fights between psycho millionaires and alien gods, and if you even exist in the general vicinity of an exploding grenade ever again… I will personally kick your ass to 1940 and back." 

"Roger that." Steve nods solemnly, his composure holding up until Bucky shakes his head with a despairing sigh, at which point Steve laughs then plants a small kiss to Bucky's mouth.

"You're ridiculous," Bucky sighs again but there's a smile playing at his lips this time. "And we're not done talking about this. We need to discuss your poor judgment." 

"I don't have poor judgment." Steve protests weakly. 

"Maybe not all the time, but your sense of judgment could definitely use a dash of common sense." Bucky raises his eyebrows as if challenging Steve to contradict him. He doesn't. 

"So," Steve tries to change the subject, "Dinner? I'm starving." 

"Fine but I'm ordering. While you call Wilson and ask him to come over."

"What. Why?" Steve asks, already reaching for his mobile phone. 

"We're teaching you how to work a damn parachute." Bucky states flatly.

Steve is about to start arguing his vast knowledge of safety requirements  _thank you very much_ , but then he catches the smirk forming on Bucky's beautiful face, and the mischief written all over it, and it stops him short. It's the same expression Bucky wore all these years ago, after every time he and Steve argued.

 _"At least your heart's in the right place, I think. Stupid as that heart is."_ Bucky would say, and then he'd crack a joke and smirk at Steve getting worked up over it. Steve remembers wanting to kiss that smirk off of his best friend's stupid face but holding back each time. Well, no need to hold back now. 

Steve surges forward and plants his mouth firmly against Bucky's, his lips devouring the surprised yelp Bucky makes and relishing the kisses that come afterwards.

Needless to say, both dinner and Sam are forgotten after that, and the boys don't get to eat until hours later. Steve reckons that this could have gone far worse and is thankful that it didn't. If anything; he admires the impressive hickey he got out of it.

Had he known this would be the outcome, he would have told Bucky that story a long time ago. 

* * *

 

A/N: If you liked the story and want to read more then you're welcome to leave me prompts here or on [tumblr](http://thelineswritteninwater.tumblr.com/ask). This is my very first fic for Steve and Bucky and I hope I didn't screw it up too badly. 

Anyway, kudos/comments would be most appreciated, so please tell me what you think and thanks for reading!


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